Plan to transform underutilized space [pullquote]“This is a major greening initiative for the neighbourhood”—Jonathan Da Silva, Bloor-Annex BIA[/pullquote] By Annemarie Brissenden Bloor Street West is about to get a whole lot greener, and it’s all thanks to the trees. Currently confined to box planters, Bloor Street’s trees are suffering. The concrete boxes — sometimes known […]

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Pharmacy drugstore chain says it will respect building’s heritage [pullquote]“This will be a relief to the neighbourhood”—Sue Dexter, HVRA[/pullquote] By Annemarie Brissenden After one last weekend-long blowout, the doors of the Brunswick House closed for good, leaving the neighbourhood eagerly anticipating the site’s next, presumably quieter and more agreeable, incarnation. “Identifying a new tenant is […]

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City to break ground later this year By Annemarie Brissenden Do you prefer a tetherball over a maypole? Would you scramble up a high ropy climber, or cling with glee to a lower rotating one? Would you rather sit on a log, dig through a sandbox, or watch the world go by from your perch […]

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The Annex Residents’ Association (ARA) has unveiled a new web application to track all the building developments in the areas on and north of Bloor Street. Residents can use the program to help keep up to date on how many new building projects are in place, as well as add information about them. The web […]

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Supervised drug injection sites are on their way to Toronto if local councillor Joe Cressy (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina) gets his way. The rookie member of city council finds himself on many civic bodies, but at the Toronto Board of Health, he is the elected chair. Cressy announced the initiative in late March after the board […]

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Re “Crime down overall in 14 Division” (March 2016): Let me start off by saying I am a big fan of small newspapers catering to a local readership. I think it is the sign of a healthy democracy, whoever owns them, as long as they are fair. The Annex Gleaner is no exception. It is […]

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Re “Bike lane plan up for debate” (January 2016): As someone who has actively chased better Bloor Street biking for over a decade, I should be very happy that bike safety changes may finally occur, but I’m not fully pleased. By only doing a part of Bloor Street in the already well-served Annex area (where […]

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Bill 165 offers consumer protection, unifies industry [pullquote]“If passed, Bill 165 will regulate the home inspection industry by licensing home inspectors.”[/pullquote] By Han Dong On March 3, 2016, Bill 165, Licensed Home Inspectors Act, 2016, my private member’s bill, received unanimous consent in the Ontario Legislature, and was referred to the committee on regulations and […]

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Transforming neighbourhoods into open air galleries By Annemarie Brissenden The 416 Project, an ambitious city-wide guerrilla art installation, is set to hit the Annex in the coming weeks. Canadian artist Jorge Molina is installing 416 six inch by six inch canvases on wooden utility poles in 35 neighbourhoods across Toronto. Each canvas depicts what Molina […]

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Galleries & Studios Hop returns to Markham Street April 23 and 24   By Annemarie Brissenden A Lithuanian pioneer of avant-garde photography will be in the spotlight during the Mirvish Village Galleries & Studios Spring Gallery Hop later this month. Still relatively unknown in North America, Vitas Luckus (1943-87) was a Soviet-era photographer whose work […]

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Several local galleries are participating in this year’s Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival, now in its 20th year. The largest photography event in the world, the festival features 1500 artists in 200 exhibitions across the Greater Toronto Area. Mark your ballot on May 17 at 918 Bathurst for The Dark Room 5.0, which will feature a […]

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